Words I Never Heard
by robert3A-SN
Summary: When Elsa tells Anna the truth about her past, she expects to hear the absolute worst from her. Instead, she hears words she never dared to expect or deserve from Anna before - yet sadder unexpected words fuel Elsa to be a real big sister in person again. From the Big Sister Elsa prompt for Elsa Week on Tumblr.


Elsa waited at the dining table for what seemed like forever. This was a sadly common thing.

She waited so long for Anna to be born. She waited in frozen horror during the worst sleigh ride of her life. She waited for 13 years to control her powers. She waited to not be alone anyone. She waited more times than she'd like to admit for….everything to just be over. Even before those first terrible moments at the fjord.

But that all still paled to waiting for Anna to say something now.

Normally, waiting for Anna to talk took about a split second, tops. Yet after 18 years, someone finally said something that made her quiet. Namely, the full truth about her and Elsa's entire life - right down to the wiped memories, the lies from everyone she ever loved, and how they thought it was the lesser evil to let her believe it was all her fault.

Now that she knew it wasn't, Elsa dared to think she'd be too happy to mind the rest. However, it was officially exposed as a pipe dream after the first five seconds of silence. To say nothing of the next full minute.

A real big sister wouldn't let Anna suffer in silence. A real one would reach out and let her speak, no matter what she would say. A real big sister wouldn't be so afraid of what that would be – especially when she deserved the worst.

Worse enough to never be looked at with undeserved, heart-thawing love ever again, probably.

As usual, Anna spoke before someone else could. Unfortunately, it wasn't with a clueless comment, an odd question or energy of any kind. "Can I be excused, please?" she asked numbly instead.

No words came out of Elsa. All she could make herself give Anna was a little nod. It would be sad if it wasn't so predictable. Yet it was enough for Anna to get up from her seat and leave the room, her footsteps getting quicker as they faded away.

A real big sister would go over to Anna's room. A real big sister would lay a gentle hand on her shoulder, let her get out all her anger and tears, and lend her shoulder to cry on if she was still allowed.

Yet Elsa's 13-year streak of not being a real big sister continued on that afternoon.

With every second she stayed away, she could pretend Anna still wanted a lying, deadly, door shutting, horribly misguided sister. With every second she stayed away, she wouldn't have to hear the obvious angry, sad, betrayed words Anna was thinking up right now. At least outside of Elsa's own head.

It was delaying reality and the inevitable. But it was Elsa's greatest skill, really. Anything to avoid hearing those long overdue words of blame a while longer.

Words Elsa told herself so much in that room. Words she imagined hearing in Anna's voice – when she could remember what it sounded like – so much in the past three years. But hearing those words in Anna's real voice, here and now…

She thought telling Anna the truth would be worth that cost – at least once she got the courage to do it. But that unnatural silence proved otherwise.

So did the fact that Anna didn't leave her room that afternoon, or come down for dinner that night. And that Kristoff and Olaf didn't even come to see Elsa on her behalf. Everyone – at least everyone who mattered – just left Elsa completely alone.

Maybe that was a just punishment enough. At least it was one she'd dealt with already. Since she was out of her room and could talk to other people, another 13 years without her would probably fly by.

All Elsa could do was spend her first night in her study, catching up on work in lue of going to bed or walking past certain bedrooms. Bedrooms with closed doors barely muffling sobs, or angry rants at snow queens.

It likely wouldn't take much to set up a bed in the study. Then Elsa could –

And then the knock came. The series of knocks came, actually. The most gut-wrenching series of anything Elsa ever heard for parts of 13 years straight.

She could claim she was busy or sleepy. She could put off hearing those painful words for just one more night. All she'd have to do was tell Anna to go away.

Tell her even more painful, familiar words.

"Elsa?"

She could do it. She could stay here, avoid a terrible confrontation, hide from terrible questions and let Anna feel hurt now, in lue of suffering greater hurt later. Like always.

Even if Anna wasn't the one Elsa was protecting from greater hurt this time.

When she was, it barely got Elsa through 13 years in that room. Just barely. But without that to help her hide from the shame of denying Anna what she deserved- and the guilt of not being a true big sister…..

"Come in, Anna."

Then that happened.

Even after a month, those words were still so strange to her tongue. Still, it wasn't like she'd be allowed to get better acquainted with them after this.

Anna then came in – walked in inside of bouncing in. She closed the door and walked slowly to Elsa's desk, without even the hint of a not so hidden smile, while Elsa stayed seated.

"I'm sorry I went away," Anna started. "I had some things to work through. And I had to work out what I'm gonna say now."

She planned ahead what she was going to say? Now Elsa knew she finally, truly broke her. And it really was Anna's turn to break whatever was left of her.

"There's a lot of things I have to say. But I wanna say the most important words first."

I hate you. You lied to me. You almost killed me twice and ruined my life. How dare you. I never should have saved you. You're the worst big sister ever. I never want to speak to you again. Let's see how you like being all alone again. I wish you were dead instead of our parents.

"Thank you."

What?

"For telling the truth for once?" Elsa said before she could censor herself. But since that was the only reason Anna had to say those words now, there was no sense beating around it.

"No. Well, there's that, but it's not what I mean now. I mean, I mean that too, but I really mean…." Anna stumbled. Elsa would miss that all over again.

"Thank you for everything you ever did for me. In the isolation."

Anna was an expert at saying nonsense, but this was truly pushing it.

"Anna, what are you…." Elsa couldn't even finish a proper sentence, which really spoke volumes. "Were you even listening to what I said? What I told you I did to you? What we all let happen to you?" she got less patient, now wishing Anna wouldn't string her along.

"Well, there's that. My pillow's pretty damp, I gotta say. Kristoff almost had to get a bucket," Anna admitted, like it was nothing.

Like it didn't kill Elsa to confirm she did nothing, while her sister cried her eyes out. Again. Like a part of her didn't want to say she never wanted to miss seeing Anna cry again. As if it wasn't too late.

"Then when I ran out of tissues and Kristoff and Olaf finished talking, I started thinking. I know, who am I and what did I do with Anna, right?" Anna somehow joked. Like Elsa wasn't cringing at what Anna was implying about herself – as if Elsa still had a right to object.

"But anyway, you leave the whole 'leave me alone without telling me why' part out….and what you did was just…." Anna cruelly paused.

"Incredible," she cruelly said. That had to be why she said it. Right? "But even if you leave those parts in, it's….what you had to….how you turned out?" Anna stumbled again, before getting her thoughts right.

"Elsa….you're a hero. You're Arendelle's hero. And of course you're my hero too."

Where did she get that…..God, even Elsa's mind couldn't think of complete sentences anymore! What was going on?

So Anna kept talking – bringing some order back to the universe, at least.

"All you ever went through was just to keep me safe. To keep Arendelle safe. It wasn't because you hated me, or hated anyone, or went cold or unloving or anything!" Anna recapped. "It wasn't because I made you that way! Not the way I thought I did!"

Elsa nearly spoke up to address that last sentence, before Anna added several more. "You gave up your whole life because you loved me….loved everyone….so much. You could have decided it wasn't worth it at any time! After everything….after our parents….you could have had enough and turned evil after all! No one would have blamed you! I wouldn't have!"

Elsa wasn't as determined to object to that as she expected. Anna continued, "But you were still so good and decent and _Elsa_, even after they left! I saw it at the coronation! If it was me….I wouldn't have stayed that strong."

"Yes you would!" Elsa finally spoke up. Someone had to tell the truth in all this.

"Nuh uh," Anna objected. "Elsa, I was already broken. If I wasn't….you know who never would have gotten so far." Dwelling on the now nameless and title-less villain kept Elsa quiet long enough.

"But you, Elsa….you were strong enough to get through the ceremony, and even talk to me. You even admitted you wanted to keep talking to me! You really meant 'me too' all along, didn't you?" Anna asked.

Dwelling on that last moment of peace, joy and love that day – at least in this castle – made Elsa well up. Keeping it down made her unable to speak, so she just nodded her agreement.

"You meant it longer than that, didn't you?" Anna pressed on. "Every time I talked to the door….you were really listening, weren't you? You weren't ignoring me. I guess you tried, but….it didn't work, did it?"

"Never," Elsa barely said. She also barely caught the tiny twinge on Anna's face – a tiny, guilty twinge. Yet her face went back to a more natural joy a moment later. Even if it only looked 99 percent genuine.

"Then you were giggling those two times when I was nine! And those three times when I was 11! I really did hear the start of a laugh that time when I was 13, didn't I?" Anna smirked. "And….that night three years ago….were you really humming after my….my song?"

Elsa nodded her head faster, as if that actually helped keep the tears in. She risked it further by covering her hands over her mouth, and very quietly singing, "Yes I doooo….."

Anna's hand went to her mouth, covering her gasp. "You answered my question…." she realized.

Answered it to herself, but never had the guts to out loud. Even on that night.

Remembering that would surely make Anna drop this "Elsa's a hero" insanity. There were no kind words and lies for that.

And yet Anna was smiling as if she had more sweet lies. That's what they were….right?

"You wanted to all along. All those years. More than I did," Anna said. "You still wanted it at the ball. You could and probably should have turned bad after all that time….time you spent telling yourself you were a monster. And you still kept fighting for me and Arendelle to be safe and warm."

"You weren't really warm without me, were you?" Elsa made herself ask. If Anna asked the same thing to her, she had no doubt about her answer.

"But I was safe," Anna answered instead. "You locked yourself in to keep us all safe. At least until you knew how to control yourself. And you succeeded! You did exactly what you set out to do all along! It took a while, but still!"

Her smile got a little less teary as she continued. "Yeah, sure, we should have known love was the key years ago. But what matters is….even after everything you suffered through and made yourself do….all that love was still there the whole time. No one could have kept all that love in her heart after all that! No one but you!"

Elsa wanted to correct her and say no one but Anna could have. That was the only thing she knew for sure she wanted to say. And even that was shaky as Anna's words kept sinking in – and more kept coming.

"Only a true Queen could have done that. And a true big sister," Anna kept piling on. "The thought that there might be people in Arendelle who haven't figured it out yet….that I didn't until that third hour of crying….that you still don't!"

She stopped and figured out, "No one's ever thanked you until now, have you? Not even Mama and Papa?"

How could they have? Elsa and Anna both realized that in their heads that time – for different reasons. Only Anna spoke out loud after that.

"Then I'll do it again," she vowed. "I still hate so many things about what happened. And now there's a few more things to deal with," she added, before shaking her head clear. "But the fact is, you did protect me. You protected Arendelle. And if it went any other way, we wouldn't be so good now."

Elsa didn't even think about objecting. Maybe that was progress, or maybe not. Either way, Anna finished, "So thank you for everything you ever did for me. Thank you for loving me so much, the only way you thought you could. Thank you on behalf of all of Arendelle, and….thank you so much for being my big sister. Every single day."

What words were there for that?

Those words Anna said should never have belonged together in any sentence. Yet she used them in so many. They….they weren't supposed to be in that order. They just weren't. Not when it came to Elsa. Never for Elsa.

She couldn't let herself believe that then. Now….now maybe….

Even if that….insanity was true, what was Elsa supposed to say now? The truth about how wrong she was – if that's what it was – would just make Anna mad. But what other words were there for words like that? If they did exist, what did Elsa know about them?

And why was Anna frowning now? Elsa hadn't told her she was wrong yet. If she was going to.

"And I promise I'll never make you suffer that much ever again."

….

Now those were words that didn't belong together. And they weren't the last ones.

"When I was crying, I told myself, Kristoff and Olaf that if you'd told me, I could have given you space. If I'd known what was going on, I could have stopped bugging you and making you feel so guilty and scared. If you'd trusted me, I could have known better and you'd be okay. But….that's just not true, is it?"

That time, something rose up in Elsa – something raw and primal. But unlike every other raw, primal feeling she contained for 13 years, this one was different. This one was something that, for a split second, she didn't want to contain. Not while Anna was talking this horribly about herself, and obviously just getting started.

At the very least, it almost made her talk before Anna kept going this time.

"You were right to keep it from me, weren't you? I just would have ignored it and kept coming until we both got killed. Like I did at the ball, and the ice palace…." Elsa's teeth clenched, but once again she wasn't fast enough to interrupt Anna.

"Heck, I've known for a month, and I still keep surprising you and touching you without permission! And pestering you to throw away your valuable time for me! If I'm like that now and when I was five, what would I have done to you and Arendelle for 13 years, huh?!" Anna yelled.

"Anna…." Elsa managed to get out. But it wasn't enough.

"Elsa, you suffered so much. More than anyone ever should," Anna said, her anger giving way to barely unshed tears. "No one should ever make you feel any pain again. Especially me."

No one should ever hear Anna say those words.

"Did Kristoff or Olaf tell you anything to make you think that?" Elsa asked, semi-dangerously. Almost hoping she'd say yes so she'd have another target.

"No. I figured it out myself when they left," Anna revealed.

For about 15 years, people at one time or another wished – always to themselves, of course – that Anna could stop talking for a minute. Yet none of them ever wanted that more than Elsa at this moment. But her wishes, as always, weren't granted.

"So….I'm just gonna be a good girl, okay?" she offered. "I'll stop crashing into things, I won't go out unless you want me to, I'll never bother you at meetings, I'll even go to meetings, I won't yawn until everyone leaves those meetings….and I'll never ask anything about snowmen. You made Olaf, so you don't ever need to make another one again, okay?"

Not okay. Nothing she said was okay. Why couldn't Elsa tell her that right now?

"Oh, and I'll give you all the space you need when you're upset too! And when you say you want to be alone, I'll actually leave you alone! The first time you ask, even!" Anna said. "I won't pressure you or scare you or make you feel guilty….I'll let you stay asleep when the sky's awake….I'll slow down whenever you tell me to for once….I won't even jump too high! Honest!"

Elsa didn't know how much more she could take. Whenever that happened, the room would have started freezing by now. But there was no ice or snow to be found. Somehow, this was still worse than if there was.

"But….if that's still not enough and you gotta shut me out again….I'll understand. At least I'll try," Anna nearly broke down. "If it's not too much trouble….could you tell me why first?"

"NO!"

Elsa had only yelled that loud, without any thought of holding back, three times in her life. Just like the last three, she did it when Anna was suffering the most. Yet although she hadn't been hit by magic and hadn't froze, this still hurt to see just as much.

But for once, Elsa could stop putting Anna through that pain.

Without another thought, she got up and marched towards Anna, like she hadn't in over 13 years. But instead of holding her arms open for Elsa, Anna clenched them together and begged, "No, stop! I wasn't trying to make you do that!"

"Do what?" Elsa breathlessly asked.

"Hug me! I know you're still uncomfortable with touching! I wasn't trying to trick you, I swear!" Anna insisted. "You don't have to make yourself uncomfortable for me! You don't have to do anything for me now! Please, stop hurting yourself for stupid old me! I can't let you do it anymore!"

With that, Anna forced herself to giggle, which did not look good on someone who did it so naturally – usually. "You know what? Forget I said anything! I'll go back to my room and we'll wipe our memories clear. Now that we can do, right?"

Before she even looked at Elsa, Anna slapped her head over her eyes. "I didn't mean it like that! Don't get mad cause of something I said! I'll conceal stuff like that starting now!"

That one familiar word made Elsa close the gap. Then it made her touch Anna's head, with her bare hands, for only the second time in 13 years. Yet the memory of it – and what she could still do to that head now – didn't cross Elsa's mind.

Nothing mattered to her except saying these words, and making Anna obey them. "You will never say the c-word ever again."

Anna's watery eyes froze in place, trapped under the ice in Elsa's eyes. It promptly melted when it saw the slush in Anna's eyes up close. For all the crying she heard from Anna since she was five, the door did help to block it out of her sight. It didn't help now.

Now nothing hid Elsa from seeing such misery in the brightest eyes she ever knew. Nothing stopped Elsa from seeing how she wasn't the only master concealer in the family. Nothing could block out thoughts of all the tears she never wiped away from her little sister.

Even wiping these ones away did little to clear her own.

"Please don't be sad," Anna whispered. "Not because….I don't want to…." Thankfully she didn't finish that.

"You feel whatever you want to feel, and I'll feel better," Elsa promised. "I'll be right here. I'm not going anywhere."

She came that close to saying she was never going anywhere again. Promising that out loud was way too big. Promising it to herself, with every fiber of her being, was just enough right now.

All those times Anna cried, she stayed away. Those times she begged to know what she did wrong, Elsa didn't answer. Every time Anna needed a big sister to hold her and let her feel okay, if only for a moment, she did nothing.

And the latest – hopefully final – consequence was the worst words she never expected to hear. After the very, very best words. Words which didn't seem so outlandish by comparison now.

The Anna who believed in those words – in Elsa – was not going to drown herself in guilt. Not while her big sister was holding her. A big sister who was so….

She decided it was best to finish that thought out loud.

"Anna, I am so very proud of you."

Then the hug came. Followed by the open floodgates.

Anna didn't ask for permission, or check to see if it made Elsa uncomfortable. Yet for only the third time in 13 years, Elsa didn't flinch a muscle from such close contact. All she did was hold Anna's body to her heart – where it always belonged – as her head rested and sobbed on her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry, Elsa….I'm so sorry," Anna cried, her tears and mouth muffled by Elsa's shoulder. "The palace, the ball….that night….you lost your whole life for me…."

"And you gave your life for me. Now we're even," Elsa tried to make that sound as soothing as she could. "Now none of us has to do it again. Especially me."

"Thank God," Anna said. "I can't imagine what I made you feel in that room…."

"The only happy memories I ever had in that room….was hearing your voice," Elsa shared.

"But it killed you to say go away Anna. Didn't it?" Anna asked.

"Yes," Elsa confirmed. "But hearing your stories….knowing you still wanted to play with me….knowing someone still loved me….it made me so sad _and _so happy. I wouldn't have kept all that love in my heart without it. You saved me for 13 years too."

"Then….we saved each other? Even before the coronation?" Anna questioned.

"I guess we did," Elsa realized. "What lucky, stubborn fools we both are. I guess we deserve each other."

"You deserve so much more than me," Anna finally lifted her head. "You'll get it from now on, I promise. No more bumbling Anna."

"I reject that offer on principle," Elsa stated, feeling on somewhat steady ground now. Anna steadied herself to stand up straight, but Elsa kept her arms around her anyway.

"If you want added responsibility and to help me more, we can talk. Together. But we'll work out a way that lets you stay Anna," Elsa made clear. "A way that lets you still have time for fun, and lets you be who you are. That's what Arendelle and me need most of all."

"What if….who I am makes you mad?" Anna asked. "Messes up important things? Drives you crazy enough to go back in your room?" She sighed, but didn't start crying again, at the least. "What if I don't trust myself to be me _and _keep you calm and happy?"

"Then I'll trust you until you do. Like you do for me," Elsa promised.

"How can you?" Anna still wondered.

"Anna, you make a lot of mistakes," Elsa admitted. "But when you see it….when someone takes the time to make you see it….you work so hard to make sure you never do it again. I know that won't change now. You haven't even proposed to Kristoff once this month!" Elsa dared to semi-joke.

"I'm almost tempted to correct you," Anna began to smirk. But when Elsa didn't, she panicked and corrected, "No, I'm correcting, I'm correcting, sorry! Don't freeze Kristoff! Not that you ever would, I mean!"

Elsa let go of Anna and laughed one of the most relieved laughs of her life, if not one of the few. This was a far more welcome and sorely missed Anna. She hoped Anna could see what a difference it was making to her.

"And if you're worried you can't be you and be helpful, that's a lie," Elsa continued. "When something's truly important to you, no one is smarter and better at carrying it out than you are. Like going to a mountain, or reassuring our people about me, or being around me in general. Whatever you focus your mind enough to do, I know you can pull it off."

"You do?" Anna was surprised.

"Of course I do," Elsa said. "Just like I know that….if we took the time to tell you things, teach you and trust you back then….our lives would have been so much better. If I wasn't too scared to know that…..if Mama and Papa weren't…."

"Don't bring them up," Anna insisted with sudden force. "I don't think it's safe for me to talk about them now. Maybe not ever," she sighed, and Elsa had to respect her wishes.

Then she went against everything her parents ever taught her.

"Here's what I will bring up. If you do something that upsets me, I will come out of my room. Eventually. I will calm down, and I will bring myself to talk to you, even if we have to be in separate rooms. And I won't stop until we can be in the same room again. I promise," Elsa started.

"When something upsets you, even if it's me or you, don't ever be scared to come to me. I will listen, and I will dry your tears. And I will plan the most devious revenge with you if you're upset with Kristoff or Olaf instead. Okay?" Elsa was glad to get a laugh out loud from Anna at last.

"Most important, I will never lie to you about anything again. And I will never make a major decision without giving you a say in it again. I swear that on the life you gave back to me," Elsa gave the most important decree of her life – one she couldn't have given as recently as 15 minutes ago.

But it was coming out so naturally. The minute Elsa saw Anna suffering in such a….familiar fashion, everything became so clear.

"You would trust me like that?" Anna still couldn't fathom.

"You're my right hand. Now that you know everything, there is no one more qualified and capable than you. I will never let you forget that again," Elsa capped off her promises. "Are we clear?"

Anna paused, freezing Elsa more than her ice ever could. Finally, Anna let out a slow smile, albeit much slower than her usual standards. Even after hearing all the words she dreamed of, but almost stopped hoping for, all these years.

She also bowed, but not in a mocking way, and genuinely said, "Very much so, Your Majesty." Elsa resisted the temptation to roll her eyes, even in gest, due to her relief.

Anna then reached her arms out and inched closer to Elsa, but didn't go right for embracing her. Elsa knew she was giving her time to adjust, object if she wanted to, and to feel comfortable before she came barging in.

None of that was necessary for Anna. Never for Anna again. But Elsa would humor her for this moment.

As such, she let Anna slowly go back into her arms, while resisting the urge to smother her tightly and lovingly in them. For once, she resisted it without any regret.

Elsa gently cuddled Anna close, letting her body relax below her as her arms went around her. When Anna was all snuggled in, Elsa said, "And you're welcome, by the way. You are so, so…."

All it took was those words to finally make Elsa crumble again. For once she was the put together one – in a good way – and now she would be a blubbering, apologetic mess after all.

But just as Elsa felt herself ready to buckle and collapse, one tight squeeze from Anna kept her on her feet.

Anna was safe, warm and loved in the arms of her hero, which made her feel like the most important and valued person who ever lived. At the same time, Elsa's feet stayed on solid ground thanks to her hero, as she began to feel like a person again.

Maybe for the first time since she was eight, she was something more than that too.

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When Elsa could move again, she only got as far as the closed door to her study. Before she knew what she was doing, she was sitting down on the floor, leaning against the door. Once she caught herself, she had to admit to Anna that this was still a habit of hers, and had been for some time.

She didn't need to explain when it started and why.

Instead of asking, Anna sat down beside her, since Elsa was obviously blocking her way out. She did it for a few other reasons too.

Elsa told herself she would get up and get them both to their own bed. After a few more minutes.

A few more became 10, then 30, and then Anna was snoring right on Elsa's shoulder this time. It really sounded much louder without a door separating them.

Yet Elsa didn't bother to block it out. Even after this last month, this was the first time she knew she couldn't block out anything Anna-related anymore. Especially when she was right here, with her….like this.

Elsa merely wrapped her right arm around Anna, and laid her left hand onto Anna's lower right arm – not on her bare hand. One step at a time.

But a step like this, on top of all the other ones….

For the first time in her life, Elsa was at peace sitting behind a door. As such, even with Anna snoring and her hair coming down everywhere, she never left her sister's arms all night. And Elsa's smile never left her sleeping face either.

Of course, Elsa wasn't smiling when she woke up and saw it was morning. Or that parts of Anna's hair were dangerously close to her mouth. Or that she would need a tissue to get her shoulder dry.

Somehow, she got to her feet without waking Anna. Once her shoulder was dry and she made sure all her work was safe in her drawer, Elsa went back over to her sleeping sister. At that point, she could properly lose herself in the memories and milestones of last night again.

And realize there was still one more left to cross off.

By the time Anna opened her eyes and finished yawning, Elsa had more than enough time to be ready. She even had another extra two minutes while Anna rubbed her eyes clear. When they were, Anna was met with an unparalleled sight.

Right in front of her face, in Elsa's hands, was a tiny little inanimate snowman.

Elsa wasn't brave enough to ask the question. She hoped the snowman could do it without her having to bring it to life. Olaf still needed a lot of palace training before he could handle a little brother – at least one actually smaller than him.

Yet Anna seemed to get it anyway. Nevertheless, she made herself ask, "Are you sure? If you're really busy…."

But Elsa was done hearing words like that from Anna. She made that clear by smashing the snowman against Anna's face – covering her mouth and then some.

Anna got herself on her feet, the snow still concealing her face and any expression she had. Elsa waited for the snow to melt, and considered speeding it along herself – until she saw the start of a vintage Anna bounce. And a vintage Anna clap.

Then one word came out of Anna. It wasn't technically a word, but it was to her. She spoke it with a squeal and glee that few could ever muster with regular words. "EEEE!"

It was a word Elsa wanted to make Anna say every day for the rest of her life.

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By now, it was a fact of castle life that the servants would hear at least one uncontrollable, ear-piercing squeal a day from their princess – no matter where they were.

The newcomers were still adjusting to it, while those brought back after 13 years could barely believe she was even louder. Those who'd been here all along still almost cried over finally hearing it again – at least before seeing the messes.

But at various points that morning, every servant could have sworn to a sound they'd never heard before. A joyful set of noises somehow louder than any of Princess Anna's past squeals.

These noises didn't come from Anna.

**THE END**


End file.
